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Wellington Region

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This article is about a region in New Zealand. For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation).

Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori: Te Upoko o te Ika),[5] is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of 8,049 square kilometres (3,108 sq mi), and has a population of 550,600 (June 2024).[2]

Greater Wellington
(Wellington Region)
Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui (Māori)
Region
Northland RegionAuckland RegionWaikato RegionTaranakiBay of Plenty RegionGisborne DistrictHawke's BayManawatū-WhanganuiWellington RegionNelson, New ZealandTasman DistrictMarlborough DistrictCanterbury RegionOtagoSouthland RegionSouthland RegionWest Coast Region
Greater Wellington within New Zealand
CountryNew Zealand
IslandNorth Island
Established1989
SeatWellington
Territorial authorities
List
Government
 • BodyGreater Wellington Regional Council
 • ChairpersonDaran Ponter (Labour)
Area
[1]
 • Land8,049.47 km2 (3,107.92 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[2]
 • Region
550,600
GDP
[3]
 • TotalNZ$ 44.987 billion (2021) (3rd)
 • Per capitaNZ$ 82,772 (2021)
Time zoneUTC+12:00 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13:00 (NZDT)
ISO 3166 codeNZ-WGN
HDI (2021)0.958[4]
very high · 1st
WebsiteGW.govt.nz

The region takes its name from Wellington, New Zealand's capital city and the region's seat. The Wellington urban area, including the cities of Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt, accounts for 79 percent of the region's population; other major urban areas include the Kapiti conurbation (Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Raumati Beach, Raumati South, and Paekākāriki) and the town of Masterton.

Local government

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The region is administered by the Wellington Regional Council, which uses the promotional name Greater Wellington Regional Council.[6]

The council region covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each of which has a rural hinterland; it extends up the west coast of the North Island, taking in the coastal settlements of the Kāpiti Coast District; east of the Remutaka Range it includes three largely rural districts containing most of Wairarapa, covering the towns of Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough.[7] The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board.[8]

Following the creation of the Auckland Council 'super-city' in 2009, a similar merger for councils within the Wellington Region was investigated by the Local Government Commission in 2013. The proposal was scrapped in 2015 following negative public feedback.[9]

Term Wellington region

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In common usage the terms Wellington region and Greater Wellington are not clearly defined, and areas on the periphery of the region are often excluded. In its more restrictive sense the region refers to the cluster of built-up areas west of the Tararua ranges. The much more sparsely populated area to the east has its own name, Wairarapa, and a centre in Masterton. To a lesser extent, the Kāpiti Coast is sometimes excluded from the region. Otaki in particular has strong connections to the Horowhenua district to the north. This includes having been part of the MidCentral District Health Board (DHB) area, instead of the Capital and Coast DHB area like the rest of the Kāpiti Coast.

History

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The Māori who originally settled the region knew it as Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui, meaning "the head of Māui's fish". Legend recounts that Kupe discovered and explored the region in about the tenth century.

The region was settled by Europeans in 1839 by the New Zealand Company. Wellington became the capital of Wellington Province upon the creation of the province in 1853, until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on 1 Nov 1876.[10] Wellington became capital of New Zealand in 1865, the third capital after Russell and Auckland.

Geography

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See also: Geology of the Wellington Region
 
A composite landsat-7 image of the southwestern part of the region
 
On the Quartz Hill track
 
Aerial view of Wellington city
 
Plimmerton, Paremata and Pauatahanui Inlet

The region occupies the southern tip of the North Island, bounded to the west, south and east by the sea. To the west lies the Tasman Sea and to the east the Pacific Ocean, the two seas joined by the narrow and turbulent Cook Strait, which is 28 kilometres (17 mi) wide at its narrowest point, between Cape Terawhiti and Perano Head in the Marlborough Sounds.

The region covers 7,860 square kilometres (3,030 sq mi), and extends north to Ōtaki and almost to Eketāhuna in the east.

Physically and topologically the region has four areas running roughly parallel along a northeast–southwest axis:

  • The Kāpiti Coast, a narrow strip of coastal plain running north from Paekākāriki towards Foxton. It contains numerous small towns, many of which gain at least a proportion of their wealth from tourism, largely due to their fine beaches.
  • Rough hill country inland from the Kāpiti Coast, formed along the same major geologic fault responsible for the Southern Alps in the South Island. Though nowhere near as mountainous as the alps, the Remutaka and Tararua ranges are still hard country and support only small populations, although it is in small coastal valleys and plains at the southern end of these ranges that the cities of Wellington and the Hutt Valley are located.
  • The undulating hill country of the Wairarapa around the Ruamahanga River, which becomes lower and flatter in the south and terminates in the wetlands around Lake Wairarapa and contains much rich farmland.
  • Rough hill country, lower than the Tararua Range but far less economic than the land around the Ruamahanga River. This and the other hilly striation are still largely forested.

Demographics

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Wellington Region covers 8,049.47 km2 (3,107.92 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 550,600 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 68 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1991400,284—    
1996414,048+0.68%
2001423,765+0.47%
2006448,959+1.16%
2013471,315+0.70%
2018506,814+1.46%
2023520,971+0.55%
Source: [11][12]
 
Population density at the 2023 census

Wellington Region had a population of 520,971 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 14,157 people (2.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 49,656 people (10.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 253,278 males, 263,691 females and 4,002 people of other genders in 196,230 dwellings.[13] 5.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 37.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 89,685 people (17.2%) aged under 15 years, 109,104 (20.9%) aged 15 to 29, 241,272 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 80,916 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.[11]

Of those at least 15 years old, 113,526 (26.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 199,524 (46.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 82,521 (19.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.[11]

Individual territorial authorities
Name Area
(km2)		 Population Density
(per km2)		 Dwellings Median age Median
income
Kapiti Coast District 731.52 55,914 76.4 23,097 48.8 years $39,100[14]
Porirua City 174.80 59,445 340.1 19,134 35.9 years $47,200[15]
Upper Hutt City 539.88 45,759 84.8 16,890 39.1 years $48,600[16]
Lower Hutt City 376.40 107,562 285.8 39,279 37.5 years $47,800[17]
Wellington City 289.91 202,689 699.1 77,835 34.9 years $55,500[18]
Masterton District 2,300.21 27,678 12.0 10,911 42.7 years $37,200[19]
Carterton District 1179.91 10,107 8.6 4,116 48.4 years $37,800[20]
South Wairarapa District 2387.76 11,811 4.9 4,953 47.5 years $42,800[21]
Tararua District (part) 69.09 6 0.1 3 – –[22]
Wellington Region 8,049.47 520,971 64.7 196,230 37.9 years $48,700

Urban areas

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Over three-quarters of the 550,600 people (June 2024)[2] reside in the four cities at the southwestern corner. Other main centres of population are on the Kāpiti Coast and in the fertile farming areas close to the upper Ruamahanga River in the Wairarapa.

Along the Kāpiti Coast, numerous small towns sit close together, many of them occupying spaces close to popular beaches. From the north, these include Ōtaki, Waikanae, Paraparaumu, the twin settlements of Raumati Beach and Raumati South, Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay, the latter being a northern suburb of Porirua. Each of these settlements has a population of between 2,000 and 10,000, making this moderately heavily populated.

In the Wairarapa the largest community by a considerable margin is Masterton, with a population of over 20,000. Other towns include Featherston, Martinborough, Carterton and Greytown.

Urban area Population
(June 2024)[2] 		% of region
Wellington 214,200 38.9%
Lower Hutt 114,500 20.8%
Porirua 60,600 11.0%
Upper Hutt 45,000 8.2%
Paraparaumu 30,300 5.5%
Masterton 23,200 4.2%
Waikanae 13,150 2.4%
Carterton 5,980 1.1%
Ōtaki 5,270 1.0%
Greytown 2,940 0.5%
Featherston 2,760 0.5%
Ōtaki Beach 2,120 0.4%
Martinborough 2,050 0.4%
Paekākāriki 1,800 0.3%

Income and employment

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The median income as of the 2023 census was $48,700, compared with $41,500 nationally. 78,597 people (18.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 236,730 (54.9%) people were employed full-time, 57,411 (13.3%) were part-time, and 12,573 (2.9%) were unemployed.[11]

Culture and identity

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People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results in the 2023 census were 72.6% European (Pākehā); 15.5% Māori; 9.1% Pasifika; 15.2% Asian; 2.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.2%, Māori language by 3.9%, Samoan by 2.8% and other languages by 17.2%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.6%. The percentage of people born overseas was 28.1, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 31.1% Christian, 3.0% Hindu, 1.3% Islam, 0.7% Māori religious beliefs, 1.2% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 0.2% Jewish, and 1.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.3%, and 6.1% of people did not answer the census question.[11]

Largest groups of overseas-born residents[23]
Nationality Population (2018)
  England 29,043
  India 11,334
  China 8,664
  Australia 8,400
  Samoa 7,410
  Philippines 6,642
  South Africa 6,435
  United States 4,581
  Fiji 4,047
  Scotland 3,843

In the 2013 census, around 25.3 percent of the Wellington region's population was born overseas, second only to Auckland (39.1 percent) and on par with the New Zealand average (25.2 percent). The British Isles is the largest region of origin, accounting for 36.5 percent of the overseas-born population in the region. Significantly, the Wellington region is home to over half of New Zealand's Tokelauan-born population.[24][25]

Catholicism was the largest Christian denomination in Wellington with 14.8 percent affiliating, while Anglicanism was the second-largest with 11.9 percent affiliating. Hinduism (2.4 percent) and Buddhism (1.6 percent) were the largest non-Christian religions in the 2013 census.[25]

Museums

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Key cultural institutions in the region include Te Papa in Wellington, the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt, Pataka museum and gallery in Porirua.

Economy

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The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the Wellington region was estimated at NZ$39.00 billion in the year to March 2019, 12.9% of New Zealand's national GDP. The subnational GDP per capita was estimated at $74,251 in the same period, the highest of all New Zealand regions. In the year to March 2018, primary industries contributed $389 million (1.0%) to the regional GDP, goods-producing industries contributed $5.93 billion (15.9%), service industries contributed $27.84 billion (74.5%), and taxes and duties contributed $3.20 billion (8.6%).[26]

Transport

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Main article: Public transport in the Wellington Region

Public transport in the region is well developed compared to other parts of New Zealand. It consists of buses, trains, cars, ferries and a funicular (the Wellington Cable Car). It also included trams until 1964 and trolleybuses until 2018. Buses and ferries are privately owned, with the infrastructure owned by public bodies, and public transport is often subsidised. The Regional Council is responsible for planning and subsidising public transport. The services are marketed under the name Metlink. Transdev Wellington operates the metropolitan train network, running from the Wellington CBD as far as Waikanae in the north and Masterton in the east. In the year to June 2015, 36.41 million trips were made by public transport with passengers travelling a combined 460.7 million kilometres, equal to 73 trips and 927 km per capita.[27]

The Wellington region has the lowest rate of car ownership in New Zealand; 11.7 percent of households at the 2013 census did not have access to a car, compared to 7.9 percent for the whole of New Zealand. The number of households with more than one car is also the lowest: 44.4 percent compared to 54.5 percent nationally.[28]

The main port in the region is located in Wellington Harbour. CentrePort Wellington manages cargo passing through the port including containers, logs, vehicles and other bulk cargo. Fuel imports are managed at wharves at Seaview and Miramar. The company also leases wharf facilities to the Interislander and Bluebridge ferry services which operate across Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton in the South Island, and it provides support for cruise ships that visit Wellington each year. CentrePort is majority-owned by Greater Wellington Regional Council, with a 77% shareholding.[29]

Biodiversity

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Southern bull kelp at Manurewa Point, in the Wairarapa

From 2005 to 2015 there has been increase in the variety and number of native forest bird species, as well as an increase in the range of areas inhabited by these species, in Greater Wellington.[30]

The internationally recognised Ramsar estuarine wetlands site at Foxton Beach is of note as having one of the most diverse ranges of wetlands birds to be seen at any one place in New Zealand. A total of 95 species have been identified at the estuary. It is a significant area of salt marsh and mudflat and a valuable feeding ground for many birds including the migratory Eastern bar-tailed Godwit, which flies all the way from Siberia to New Zealand to escape the harsh northern winter. The estuary is also a permanent home to 13 species of birds, six species of fish and four plants species, all of which are threatened. It regularly supports about one percent of the world population of wrybills.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2022". Statistics New Zealand. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  5. ^ "The Local Government (Wellington Region) Reorganisation Order 1989". New Zealand Gazette: 2491 ff. 9 June 1989.
  6. ^ "Legal notices". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Greater Wellington Regional Council's constituencies". Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  8. ^ Parks Network Plan (PDF). Greater Wellington Regional Council. 2011. p. 10. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Wellington super-city scrapped due to lack of public support". 9 June 2015.
  10. ^ New Zealand Provinces 1848–77
  11. ^ a b c d e "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Wellington Region (09). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  12. ^ "2001 Census: Regional summary". archive.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  13. ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Kapiti Coast District. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Porirua City. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Upper Hutt City. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Lower Hutt City. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Wellington City. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Masterton District. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Carterton District. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. South Wairarapa District. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Mara. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Birthplace (detailed), for the census usually resident population count, 2006, 2013, and 2018 Censuses (RC, TA, SA2, DHB)". nzdotstat.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  24. ^ "Birthplace (detailed), for the census usually resident population count, 2001, 2006, and 2013 (RC, TA) – NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  25. ^ a b "2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity – data tables". Statistics New Zealand. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2016. Note some percentages (e.g. ethnicity, religion) may not add to 100 percent as people could give multiple responses or object to answering.
  26. ^ "Regional gross domestic product: Year ended March 2019 | Stats NZ". www.stats.govt.nz. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  27. ^ "Greater Wellington Public Transport – Patronage". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  28. ^ "2013 Census – transport and communications in New Zealand". Statistics New Zealand. 3 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-02-14. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Centreport Limited (410682) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. 1 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  30. ^ McArthur, Nikki; Harvey, Annette; Flux, Ian (October 2015). State and trends in the diversity, abundance and distribution of birds in Wellington City (PDF). Wellington: Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Manawatu Estuary". doc.govt.nz. New Zealand Department of Conservation.   Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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